Tudor Releases Military-Chic Pelagos FXD GMT "Zulu Time"

Since its release in late 2021, the Pelagos FXD has become Tudor’s quintessential modern dive watch, and while it has seen some special-edition variations, the watch has remained a highly focused experience at its core. The FXD launched as a Marine Nationale watch for the French Navy, and even included a few peculiar details, such as a bidirectional countdown bezel, as a result. Today, Tudor is returning to these roots with a new FXD built to meet the needs of the Aéronautique Navale (French Naval Aviation). This is the Pelagos FXD GMT “Zulu Time,” and it’s the Tudor many of you have been waiting for. 

First, let’s take a quick step back to acknowledge the Black Bay 58 GMT released earlier this year. This is a watch that addressed one of the main sticking points of Tudor’s GMT-equipped watches with a new movement, the MT5450-U, which allows for a much thinner case. It was also METAS-certified. Whatever your feelings on the Black Bay 58 GMT were, this movement was cause for excitement at how it might get used across other collections in time. Today, we get a new variation: the Caliber MT5652-U that has been installed within this FXD GMT, and let’s just lead off by answering the most pressing question: this watch measures 12.7mm thick, and it is METAS-certified. 

A GMT complication within the Pelagos collection is something fans have been asking for, and this watch delivers in a big way, if still a bit “niche" in its execution. Tudor has released the “Zulu Time” model with a fixed-lug FXD case, which means it will only accept a pass-through strap. That will be a deal breaker for some, but it makes a good bit of sense in the context of how this watch will be put to use. I’d add that the strap options for the FXD have become very high-quality, and this one appears to be no exception, but this is a movement and configuration that I’d like to see brought to the regular Pelagos range as well, allowing it to be specced with a bracelet. 

The watch itself is about what you’d expect from a GMT-equipped FXD. The 42mm case is grade 2 titanium and measure 52mm from lug to lug. As with all FXD watches, that lug-to-lug is a bit misleading, as it’s taken from the bowed-out middle section of the fixed bar, which is under the strap when in use. These aren’t small watches, but they certainly wear much better than the numbers would suggest. 

The movement features a “flier”-style GMT, meaning that the hour hand is independently adjustable, allowing for quick changes to the local time without losing track of home time (or Zulu time, if you want to stay on theme). The watch makes use of a full-orange 24-hour hand and a bidirectional rotating bezel indexed to 24 hours. This technically allows for the tracking of three time zones simultaneously.

Visually, there’s a lot to take in here. The matte black dial is paired with a matte black ceramic bezel insert, which uses a different colored lume compared to the rest of the dial, setting it apart in low light conditions. The rest of the dial is pretty standard FXD in appearance, though there is one detail never before seen in the collection, and that is a date complication appearing at 3 o’clock. It makes sense in conjunction with the GMT function, so it’s not too surprising to see one included. 

Tudor has opted to use a slightly murky lume color that isn’t quite brown or yellow, but it’s certainly not a crisp white, either. It does lean into the ‘throwback’ look ever so slightly, but not enough to be detrimental. It was a similar story with Tudor’s Black Bay Pro, and both models walk a fine line in achieving a great balance. The high-contrast, ultra-legible quality remains intact, which is the most important part.

As you’d expect, the caseback will bear the M.N.(year) marking to denote its connection to the French Navy. Being a bit late in the year, the M.N.24 casebacks will likely be in short supply, just like the M.N.21 of the original FXD. The price is set at $4,625, which feels about right for an in-house METAS-certified movement within a highly specialized case like this, but again, the lack of a bracelet makes it trickier to judge there. This might be the most practical variation of Tudor’s most impractical watch, and I suspect it will find its audience in a similar manner to the standard FXD. Keep an eye out for hands-on impressions of this one coming soon.